A Lord and his Guard
by iRikeToWrite
Summary: This is a story on the youth of Lord Shen and Zhong 'Wolf Boss'. We see in detail all the events leading to the corruption of Lord Shen and Zhong, as well as they're rehabilitation to the crimes they committed. We witness how a simple friendship between a fowl and wolf grew into something much, much more.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello KFP readers! This actually is my first ever KFP fanfiction, and I am really excited to continue with it. Also, the photo for my cover isn't mine; it belongs to its rightful owner Koklico. If you're reading this, I simply used your photo to give readers a better image as to what Wolf Boss and Shen looked like. You're extremely talented by the way, and I recommend readers to look at his work on DeviantArt. Now, there are some things that I would like to state.**

**Firstly, the name 'Zhong' isn't mine; it is TheCoolKat (who is an exceptional author and someone who I extremely recommend checking into)**

**Secondly, this story is a prequel to Kung Fu Panda 2. I didn't do my history research; I honestly don't know if parks and playgrounds even existed at the time, nor do I know if my depiction of kung-fu is accurate. But, this is a cartoon fanfiction, so hopefully I can get away with it, haha.**

**Thirdly, this isn't going to show any form of a love relationship between Zhong and Shen. I wanted this story to dive really deep into their past lives, and I might change some things in regards to how the movie went. Shen being a very strange child was so overplayed; I decided to add some flavor to it all. And yes, in my version Zhong, or "Boss Wolf" knows kung fu. Don't worry though, I will have him use a weapon soon enough.**

**Please review! I accept any form of criticism, and it just overall makes me a happier human being!**

All of Gongmen City was blanketed by the many oranges and purples from the dawning sun. The city slowly rose from its slumber. Vendors opening their shops, citizens getting ready for work. Slowly, the city was beginning to become the lively place it was known for.

However, on the top of the magnificent Tower of the Sacred Flame, the edifice of Gongmen, there stood a young peacock, along with his mother and father who just-so-happened to be the rulers of the fine city they gazed down upon.

"The sunset is beautiful!" the young, albino peacock spoke in awe. The sight was something out of a fantasy in the young fowl's eyes, and was a picture that he was surely not to get tired of for a while. The father of the little one spoke smoothly "It is indeed, my young one."

The young peacock was still staring at the sun, which was almost at its brightest. His attention broke from the view, however, when a sharp pain unleashed in his throat. The child let out several rough coughs as he bent down, clenching his throat in pain. Panicked, the child's parents immediately picked him up and sent him inside. "Shen's infection is getting worse. He shouldn't leave the palace today" the mother insisted. They went to Shen's room, where they tucked him into his bed.

"But mother…I wanted to go play today" Shen stated in a hoarse voice. His father simply shook his head. "I deeply apologize, however in your state it is very dangerous for you to be outside, especially since the cold weather is coming" the father stated softly, in hopes to not anger his son. It went to no avail, however, as the child grew more frustrated. "But I vow to be extra cautious, father! It is merely a cough!" the eight year old said in a loud voice, which caused him to cough a little bit more. "Shen, as your father I must simply not allow it. It is for your health, little one."

This made the albino fowl angry. "I've grown so tired of simply looking at the sunset! Didn't you tell me how I would succeed you, father? How can I be the lord of a city that I barely even experience!?" Shen spoke loudly. He tried to hold in his cough, and the pain can be read on the child's face. Shen's father was about to speak, however he was cut off by his mate. "Shen, you are correct" she said calmly. "This is not fair, mother! I want to go outside and…wait what?" Shen said as his face morphed into confusion, similar to his father's which was directed toward the woman. "You deserve to go outside and make some friend's, my love. How about this; we can ask your nanny to take you to the park later on."

At this, Shen's eyes widened, and the pain in his throat nullified. He was going to the park! Growing up, Shen was sick a multitude of times, and he doesn't remember much about the short walks his parents took him on, the very few times he wasn't ill. Besides his sore throat, Shen was completely energetic, however. It would show to be a great chance for the child to make friends. The mother decided it would only be fair.

"Oh, thank you mother! Thank you thank you!" Shen excitingly said as he kissed his mother and father on the cheek. At this, he ran down the stairs to see his nanny, the soothsayer, arranging sage. The soothsayer turned her head at the sound of Shen running towards her.

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Shen arrived at a decently sized field of grass and trees, eagerly tugging his nanny by the sleeves. At the entrance, the soothsayer attempted to calm Shen down. "Now sweetie, I must attend a few chores near here. Promise me that you will remain at the playground over there" she said, pointing to where all the kids were playing. Shen nodded his head, gave his nanny a hug, and ran over to where the children were playing. At the edge of the playground, however, he stopped.

Shen didn't know the nearest thing about playing with kids his age. The young peacock was a mere eight years old, and he barely talked to others his age. However, he saw a group of kids, and decided to see if he can join in whatever they were doing.

They were all peacocks who looked to be older than Shen. The blue peacocks were all huddled in a circle, their claws pressed inside. One was bending down, counting.

Although hesitant, Shen tapped on the shoulders of one of them. The peacock turned around and said, rather rudely, "What?" Shen didn't expect such rudeness, however shrugged it off. "May I play with you?" the peafowl asked in his nicest voice. The peacock just shrugged and said blatantly "Not enough room."

Shen looked around and counted only four others in the circle. The blue peacock was about to turn away when Shen tapped on his shoulder again. The blue peacock made sure to put annoyance in his tone as he said "I already said no!" By now, the four other kids looked at him. Shen felt himself getting shyer at all the staring eyes. However, Shen soon became angry and said "Fine! I didn't even _want_ to hang out with you losers" while he stomped away.

Before he could walk away, however, he felt two wings forcefully push his back. This made the young white fowl lose his footing, and Shen fell on the hard concrete. "Ow! What was that for-" Shen was cut off as two wings pulled him by his chest. The blue bird was now face-to-face with Shen, who was now showing fear instead of frustration. "Who do you think you're calling loser, kid!" the bird spat at young Shen's face. Shen felt the piercing glares of the strangers friends, and he was now extremely scared.

As he was face-to-face with the bird, Shen's throat started to hurt again. Accidentally, he coughed in the blue bird's face, making him cringe in disgust. "Aw, Deshi that's nasty!" the bird's friend said. Shen took mental note on the name.

Deshi now stomped toward Shen and pushed him again. "You're disgusting, _freak!_" he said as he walked away. Now, Shen was furious. He ran to Deshi and pushed him immensely hard, causing Deshi to land face-first on the concrete floor. All the other kids paid attention to the conflict, and they were all in a circle. Deshi got up, his beak now bruised, and glared heavily at Shen. One of the kids in the crowd, a rabbit, started to chant "fight, fight, fight." It took no time at all for all the kids in the crowd to chant loudly, only boiling Deshi's blood up more.

Deshi stomped toward Shen, who was stuck on what his next action should be, and shoved his face extremely hard and roughly. Shen took a few steps back to prevent him from falling, and got his wings in a fighting position, despite not knowing anything about fighting.

Deshi, however, went into some sort of stance, and motioned Shen towards him with his wing. _I refuse to let him get the last laugh_ Shen though as he shouted, running toward Deshi. Shen attempted to swing a punch; however Deshi blocked it with his own wing. Shen was off-balance for a split-second, however it was all Deshi needed to slide his feet down and make Shen trip. The kids were cheering, unaware of the injustice being played.

Shen quickly got up and brushed himself off, before Deshi ran towards him and swung. Shen barely dodged it, and as he tried to get concentrated again, Deshi's foot caught a blow right on Shen's face. Shen fell right on his back roughly, making him groan in pain.

Deshi then went on top of Shen, and Shen was defenseless against the onslaught of punches to his face. His body was hurting everywhere, and his throat was in more pain than ever. He felt warm liquid run down his nose while the kids cheered. Shen cursed at himself. Why didn't he just stay home? If he didn't beg for his parents' permission, he would be in the comfort of his bed, playing with his toys. While the act itself was dull, it was far better than having his face beat into a pulp.

When Shen gave up on trying to defend himself, the unexpected happened. He heard Deshi shout in pain as his body got off of Shen's, allowing the albino to breathe properly. Shen's face was immensely sore, and he tried to catch his breath. Once his body was fully oxygenated, he looked up to see exactly who his savior was.

There, he saw a wolf, wearing a dark-orange tunic, step in front of him. "Who are you?" Deshi shouted at the mysterious wolf. The crowd was dead-quiet. The lupine looked to be about Shen's age, and he growled ferociously. "None of your beeswax, jerk!" the unknown wolf said loudly to Deshi and his gang. The birds tensed, while Deshi, having enough of this dog, lashed his wings at him. Right as he was about to land the punch on his face, the wolf spun around, making Deshi bewildered for a moment, The wolf then used the back of his hand to smack Deshi across his face. The peacock flew in the air and face-planted, leaving all the kids in shock, including and especially Shen, who was simply looking at his unnamed savior.

"Your kung-fu sucks" the lupine said in a cocky voice. The lupine, despite his fighting skill, had a very child-like voice, like Shen. How can someone so young be so good at fighting? It surely left Shen flabbergasted.

Deshi and his gang all went into a kung-fu stance, while the wolf simply stood there, smirking. "What are your names? I don't like fighting nameless enemies."

Deshi pointed to his for other friends. "That's Dong, Fai, Cheng, and Han. I'm Deshi." The wolf grinned. "My name's Zhong. Now, let's fight, _Debbie_!" Zhong taunted as he cracked his knuckles.

"It's _Deshi_!" the bird shouted as he bolted toward Zhong. The birds wasted no time running toward the lupine. Shen knew that this 'Zhong' would be greatly injured during this battle. It was a five-versus-one, after all. The odds were immensely low. Despite this, however, he couldn't look away as the wolf didn't even move.

Deshi swung, and Zhong dodged it. He quickly bent down and spun, his leg tripping Deshi. Dong ran and tried to kick him; however Zhong spun around and dodged it. He grabbed Dong by the head and swung him around, making him crash into Han and Fai. Cheng just looked at him with a perplexed face, his friends doing the same one they got up.

How can this wolf be so strong? They were obviously older; however he was able to take on all five of them. Shaking it off, they formed a circle around the lupine. Zhong did an over-exaggerated yawn, taunting the five birds. They then went for the kill.

Deshi ran fast as he attempted to kick Zhong, however the wolf dodged it at just the right moment for Deshi's kick to land on Cheng's beak. Cheng held his sore beak in his wings as he rolled on the floor in pain. Deshi, now furious, tried to punch Zhong, who spun around and forcefully grabbed onto the wing. Deshi only had time to blink in surprise as Zhong swung him around, as if he was a heavy weapon. Ching hit Dong, Fai, and Han, before being flung onto the floor. This time, however, the five of them quickly got up and ran at him.

Zhong wore a shocked face as the five of them went right in for the prize. He didn't have time to notice the clenched wing that was right in front of him. _No…_ Shen thought, cringing as Hai landed a punch right on his snout. All five of them surrounded him as he was on the floor, clenching his nose and groaning loudly in pain.

"Ha, you wish!" Zhong shouted as he did a head spin, kicking all five peacocks extremely hard, sending them flying. He spun back to his feet. He then proudly stated "I didn't even have to hit you guys!" The five peacocks both squirmed around each other as they ran away. Deshi turned around and yelled "Freaks!" before fleeing. All the kids were in complete silence.

Zhong was never a fan of a crowd. He was getting annoyed, and started barking viciously, making all the kids run for their lives. Well, everyone except for Shen, who simply laid there in complete awe, similar to how he was this morning.

Zhong walks up to the fallen peacock. Even though this was the wolf that saved him, Shen was still scared of the beast. A kid no older than him just beat up five peacocks by himself, he didn't even have to purposely hit them, and he did it_ all at_ _once. _Shen gulped as the lupine was in front of him.

Zhong then, out of nowhere, sat down like a dog on all fours. He tilted his head as his ears flattened against his head. "You okay there, guy?" he said in a surprisingly, almost adorable way. If Shen was confused before, than his mind was doing a somersault right now. It was almost funny how quickly this beast went from cocky-youthful fighter to an adorable cub.

"Y…yeah. What….was…all that?" Shen asked while motioning his wing around the wolf. Zhong just smiled "That's Kung Fu! It's a really cool way of fighting; and I didn't even fight!" Zhong smiled a big toothy grin, and his tail started wagging. Shen just couldn't believe it. The wolf was the same age as him, and yet he was able to do all these incredible moves? It made no sense to the young peafowl. Was this what 'kung fu' was capable at doing?

Ever since he could remember, Shen had been a mere weakling. He was always ill, and his physical attributes were lacking immensely. He had no muscle on him…yet neither did Zhong. Surely if a wolf like him can accomplish such fighting skills, he had a chance to as well.

Shen walked eagerly in front of Zhong and grabbed his shoulders. "Who taught you how to do that?" the fowl asked excitingly. Zhong shrugged very awkwardly "My, uh, Dad. He used to be a really good fighter."

Shen's excited smile started to slowly slip away "Wait…used to?"

At this, the cheerful vibe of the lupine started to fade. His ears became flat and he looked at the floor. "My…my parents, they…died. Now I live in the orphanage across town." Shen started to show sympathy in his eyes. "I'm so sorry" he said softly, putting his wing on the wolf's shoulder. The wolf let out a smile; not his cocky and toothy kind, no. It was genuine. "Thank you. By the way, what was your name?"

Shen smiled, happy that he was able to knock him out of that gloomy state. "It's Shen. And I thank you as well" Shen stated proudly as he bowed down to the wolf, much to the lupine's surprise. "What for?" Zhong replied in confusion. Shen responded with a 'no duh' attitude "For saving me from those jerks! If it weren't for you, I'd have so many bruises that they might as well call me a black peafowl!"

Zhong let out a small chuckle at the statement. "Well, it was really not a problem. I like teaching meanies a thing or two!" Zhong said as he pounded his fist into his palm. They both laughed.

"So…will I see you here again?" Shen asked, hoping to hear a positive answer. "Yeah! Although If I don't show up, just knock on the door of the city orphanage! By the way, where do you live?" Zhong asked. Shen pointed to The Tower of the Sacred Flame. "I live right there. It's pretty hard to miss!" Shen stated, as if living in the tallest tower in the city wasn't even a huge deal.

Zhong's jaw was wide open. "Wait…s-so you're the prince! Oh, my lord!" Zhong stuttered as he bowed down respectively. This made Shen laugh so hard it triggered a cough, although it wasn't as strong as the earlier ones. Zhong looked confused at the bird. "Don't worry, silly! I'm not that important. I'm just a regular kid, like you." Shen happily stated. Zhong sighed, and looked up at the peafowl.

He liked this bird. It was nice to talk to someone who didn't ignore you all the time. The people at the orphanage barely paid any mind to his needs, the same with his fellow orphans. He hadn't talked to someone his age like this for a while, now that he thought about it. It was really refreshing.

"Shen! Shen, I'm back. Would you like me to take you-" the soothsayer stopped when she saw the lord's bruised eye. "Shen! What in god's name happened to you!" she stated as she ran to attend to the young fowl's injuries. Only now had Shen and Zhong realized how badly beat up Shen was.

Unfortunately, it was at this realization that he started feeling the stinging sensation on his eye. "Uh, I got into a…conflict, nana" Shen stated in a very childish way, as to not worry his nanny. "A fight! Oh, Shen, this is why you shouldn't be going outside!" the soothsayer said while grabbing his sleeve. "W-wait! Don't tell mother and father about this! I beg of you, nana! I had…fun, today." Shen half-lied.

This day was terrible for the most part, actually. But, he made his first friend today. He wouldn't want to not be able to see Zhong again, especially after seeing how intriguing he was. "Oh, Shen, I can't lie to your parents about this! You were never the one to cause such mistakes!"

Shen hurriedly stated "W-well let him come, then!" as he pointed toward Zhong. "He saved me from the bullies, nana. Maybe he can come to our home!"

The soothsayer looked at the lupine. "Well…I thank you dearly for protecting my Shen, young one. Now Shen, if it is okay with your parents, I'm sure he can come to visit tomorrow" At this, Shen and Zhong smiled greatly. "Oh, thank you so much, nana!" he said as he kissed the soothsayer on her cheek. He then went to Zhong, and gave him a hug. Zhong was shocked at first, however quickly returned it. "Thanks for helping me, Zhong" Shen muffled under the wolf's furry neck. The soothsayer awed at the adorable sight. Zhong patted Shen's back "Don't mention it. See you tomorrow?"

"You bet!" Shen said as he walked with the soothsayer. At the edge of the park, Shen yelled "Bye, Zhong!" and waved his wing. Zhong happily waved his paw and shouted "Bye, Lord Shen!" Shen smiled as he walked with his nana back home. He was only there for a short while, but yet so much had happened. He didn't know how he should react to the events. Shen just smiled, thinking about the strange lupine.

_Lord Shen…I like it_

**And, that marks an end to Chapter 1. I really hope you guys enjoyed. I know I probably have some grammatical errors here and there, for my proof-reading skills aren't precise. Like I said, I know I have plenty of room for improvement and I would love to improve. Please review, and all of you have a wonderful day!**


	2. Chapter 2

**And we're back! This was originally suppose to be uploaded on Thanksgiving, however I completely forgot about it (and I apologize for that). And as for Black Friday, I didn't have time to upload it since I needed to hide the body of this guy who tried to take my TV. Why are you grinning?**

**In all seriousness though, I am getting a Surface (Microsoft tablet/laptop) on Monday, so I am probably going to update a lot more. I also discovered that it was AniUniverse2005 who made the name "Zhong" so that name belongs to him. **

**Thank you all for your nice reviews! It makes me feel good to know that people appreciate what I am trying to make with this! I hope you enjoy this chapter, and don't forget to review :D!**

"You what?!" Lord Fu-Han loudly spoke to his child, who sat across him at the dinner table. A young Shen sunk into his seat, a sad look on his face. Shen wasn't an imbecile; he knew that his parents were going to be frustrated about the event. The Soothsayer ate her share of dinner as she stared at the two peafowl. Shen's mother, Lady Ah Lam, was next to speak "Shen, how on Earth did this happen?"

Shyly, Shen explained how he was getting beaten by the peacock Deshi, and how the wolf Zhong miraculously saved him. Surprisingly, he started to become more upbeat as he described the actual fight.

"He didn't even have to hit them! It was like they were beating themselves up!" Shen explained rather excitingly, as if he had seen an epic superhero battle. His wings gestured all over the place as he explained all the fighting that had taken place. When he was finished, his parents only looked in awe.

"I must say, Shen, you were very lucky. You should be thankful that someone came in to protect you" Fu-Han exclaimed. Shen also explained how he wanted to invite Zhong to the palace tomorrow, as a way of showing appreciation. Ah Lam asked "Why don't we have the Soothsayer take you to his house? I and your father have a big meeting tomorrow, and outsiders aren't so welcomed in the palace." Shen frowned, telling them how the wolf pup was orphaned. "Oh…well, why not? This is a chance for you to make a friend, after all!" Fu-Han said, making Shen very excited.

Shen finished his dinner, took a bath, and was tucked to sleep by his nana. He couldn't wait to play with Zhong tomorrow.

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Zhong walked ever-so-slowly back to the town orphanage. Gods, how he hated that dreaded place. It was far after sundown, and he knew he was in trouble.

Zhong was prepared for what he was to face when he returned. He had snuck out, after all. The orphanage barely let the children go out and play, so he found himself sneaking away many times. The lupine considered just sleeping outside for the night, however turned against it. He was going to the prince's palace tomorrow, and the very last thing he wanted was to show up in filth.

Zhong went around to the side of the orphanage, trying to find the third window to his left. After spending so much time with barely anyone to talk to, he had time to mentally map the entire place. Once he found it, he slowly looked inside to see what the people inside were doing.

The orphans were having a story read to them. They all sat on the cheap rug that, knowing the staff, was probably a hand-me-down. He looked at the pool of multiple species; however there was one in particular that he noticed.

Her name was Chun. Unlike all the other kids, Chun actually talked to him. She was his age, seven, and wore a white robe, actually similar to Shen's. She too was a wolf, however her fur was a cinnamon-like color. Because of this, he enjoyed calling her "Dandan" meaning "cinnabar red". Even though the name was common, the tone he added to it made her get mad at times. While he would never actually say it, she looked cute when she was mad.

Zhong quickly knocked twice on the window and got out of sight. It was barely audible, but because Chun was a wolf, her ears heard it. Quickly, she asked one of the staff if she could be excused to her room, and went there rather quickly.

Because her room was on the first floor as well, Zhong quickly went to the side of the building where her room was, and waited until she arrived. When a child is sick, they are sent to a private room as to not spread their germs to all the others. Thankfully, Chun had faked a fever for a few days, and to that Zhong was massively appreciative, despite the fact he didn't show it much.

"What were you doing, Zhong?" Chun asked frustrated as she opened her window. As Zhong went through the window, he exclaimed "Staying away from this stupid place, Dandan". Chun pouted, and said "You're going to be in so much trouble! Everyone's been worried!"

Zhong couldn't help but roll his eyes. "We're wolves; they wouldn't care if a rickshaw knocked us out and killed us" he blatantly said as he sat down on the bed. Chun, looking down, stayed silent. She knew that the people here didn't treat them good; however it still made her sorrowful whenever she would hear it from Zhong. The male lupine noticed the other's expression, and decided to quickly cheer her up.

"Well, guess who I met today" the pup said excitingly. Chun gave him a questioning look. "Who?" 

"Take a guess!"

Chun gave him a glare, he knew she hated guessing. Zhong just shook the expression off, and exclaimed happily "the one-and-only prince of Gongmen City". Chun's eyes went wide at this. "You're kidding!"

The two children went on about how Zhong explained the fight (which he over-exaggerated massively), what happened while he was gone, and how cool it was that the wolf was going to see the palace tomorrow. It was actually quite nice; they ignored their bland and cruel world, as if only for a moment.

Unfortunately, it all had to come to an end as they heard the children getting up and being sent to their rooms on the other side of the door. "Well, good luck" Chun shyly said, knowing what her best friend was about to endure. Zhong just replied "Thank you, Chun" as he left.

He rarely called her Chun, due to the nickname thing. Six months back, when they first met, she would be happy. Now, however, it saddened her, for 'Dandan' kind of grew on her, although she would never admit it.

Her thoughts were broken, however, as she started sniffing the air.

"Ew! Zhong, did you-"

"Good night, Dandan!" Zhong exclaimed as he closed the door and quickly scampered off on all fours, laughing at his rather gross act. He knew how much THAT ticked her off, and it was hilarious.

As all the kids were being sent to their bedrooms, Zhong tried his best to blend in. He was close to where his room was, but just as he was about to walk past the door, he heard a voice call out to him. "Zhong!" the voice shouted, catching all the children's attention.

He felt his spine tingle as he stopped right on his tracks, and gritted his teeth. _Damn it _he thought. Slowly, he turned his head toward the adult antelope; Mr. Chi. Chi was one of the more important staff members, for he interviewed all the parents looking to adopt. "Come. Here" The antelope exclaimed while pointing at the floor in front of him.

Zhong slowly crawled, on all fours, toward the man. When he was right in front of him, Zhong looked at the floor as his ears went against his head, and his tail lowered. Out of nowhere, he felt a heavy sting on his face. Zhong lost his footing, and fell on his rear on the floor. He tried not sniffling as he looked away from Chi. "How many times have I told you not to run off?!" Chi shouted at the cub, still on the floor. Zhong stayed mute, too scared to talk.

Mr. Chi then grabbed Zhong's muzzle, and lifted it up harshly. "Answer me!"

Zhong saw his vision become blurry as warm water streamed slowly down his furry cheeks. "Don't even try giving me those crocodile tears, wolf!" Chi spat, and shoved Zhong's muzzle as he got up and turned around. Zhong angrily and sadly looked at the antelope as he walked away.

The wolf pup quickly touched his cheek and winced in pain; that antelope landed a good hit. Zhong quickly wiped his eyes as he simply trotted back into his room.

There were fourteen beds in total; seven on each side. Zhong walked toward the one at the very end of the room. That one was pressed against the wall, and, for obvious reasons, he enjoyed facing the wall rather than the children.

God knew how much he wanted to leave. He wanted to run away and never come back. If it weren't for Chun, he probably would have a long time ago. At the very least, he had tomorrow to look forward too.

"Augh!" Zhong said as he tripped and hit the floor. All the kids started laughing at him. Zhong turned around and saw a brown bull, Aiguo. He was twelve, and very tall for his age. He was definitely an intimidating sight, however Zhong just brushed himself off and continued walking.

"What's wrong, doggy?" Aiguo taunted as the wolf walked away. Zhong hated being called a dog, but ignored him nonetheless. "Aw, did I hurt your feelings?" Aiguo continued his teasing, but Zhong still didn't even look back at him.

"Oh, look; what's this?" Aiguo said. Zhong, out of curiosity, turned around. His face filled with shock when he saw what was in the bull's hooves. "Look at this locket, it's so pretty! And to think I found it under your bed" Aiguo taunted as he tossed the silver locket in his hands.

Zhong instinctively ran toward the bull, shouting "Give it back", which only made Aiguo's grin widen. "Then come get it" Aiguo taunted once again to the wolf. While Zhong knew kung-fu, he couldn't use it against someone like him. Knowing him and everyone in the room, they would tell on him and change the story, making him look like the bad one (they had done so countless times before). And even if he wouldn't get in trouble, Zhong knew that he wouldn't be able to control himself from killing the guy. Aiguo held the locket high in the air. Aiguo was a good amount taller than Zhong, making the locket impossible to reach. This, however, didn't stop Zhong as he jumped in the air, trying to grab it. The children laughed at the sight, and Zhong never had felt more embarrassed.

Out of nowhere, Zhong landed a cheap-shot in the wolf's groin, making Zhong fall hard on the floor and bark in pain. All the children laughed as Aiguo walked away from Zhong's agonizing body, opening the rather large locket. Inside, he saw a small picture of two adult wolves in the left. In the right, he saw a message etched in cursive. "What does this even say?" Aiguo said, since he, as well as many of the kids there, never learned how to read or write like that.

"Give it back!" Zhong said desperately, his eyes becoming watery again. Aiguo just smirked.

"Alright, here" Aiguo said as he threw the locket across the room, hearing a cracking sound. Everyone laughed as Zhong crawled toward the locket, still in pain. "Go fetch, doggy!" Aiguo cockily shouted as he went to his bed. Zhong picked up the locket. The glass that was keeping the photo in place got a pretty good crack, making the image hard to see. He also saw that the locket didn't snap shut anymore.

Zhong didn't even say anything. He just got into his bed and faced the light-green wall, the children still snickering behind him.

Soon, everyone except for Zhong fell asleep. Zhong just looked at the blank wall, feeling his tears run down his cheeks rapidly. _I hate it here… _ Zhong thought as he shoved his muzzle in his pillow, muffling his sniffling.

"I want to go home" Zhong said to himself as he cried himself into slumber.

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A young prince pouted as he sat down on a park bench, his nana right next to him. He had waited a half-an-hour at the park, and still no sight of Zhong. What was taking him so long?

"Welp, I guess we should go to the orphanage" Shen said as he got up, motioning his nana to follow. "Oh, I truly dispise that place" the Soothsayer spoke to Shen and herself. "Why?"

The soothsayer just sighed as she explained herself. "That place is in such a poor condition, and the staff is filled with racist people."

Shen thought about that as he and his nana walked. He'd have to ask Zhong about that.

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His nana was right. The place was quite filthy for a building, let alone an orphanage. They both walked up to an antelope who was sitting at the front desk.

"Hello, Mr…Chi" the Soothsayer said, reading the name on the desk. The antelope straightened himself "Hello madam, how may I help youuuuu-Prince!" Chu suddenly yelled when he noticed the Prince of Gongmen was right in front of him. Shen found the sight quite humorous.

"I, um…g-good afternoon, Prince Shen!" the antelope said while bowing his head. Shen did the same; he was taught to always bow down in respect. "H-how may I help you fine pair?" Chi asked over-politely.

"We would actually like to invite one of your orphans to the royal palace. The Prince here is his acquaintance" the Soothsayer explained while gesturing to Shen, who displayed a very happy look on his face.

"Oh, okay. May I have the-" Chi stopped when he noticed the goat and the prince walk past him into the cafeteria, where the loud noises confirmed that the orphans were in there. Chi gulped nervously.

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Zhong sat in the big, empty room. He heard all the children laughing and eating. When someone was grounded, they were to be sent food while everyone else ate together. Of course, that didn't happen for him. They didn't even give him a good breakfast; A small egg omelet with a small glass of water barely satisfied his hunger, and that was hours ago. Chun had offered some of her food, however refused immediately (she shouldn't have to starve for him, especially after all she had been doing for him). Unfortunately, just thinking of the food that had been offered to him made his stomach growl.

Zhong didn't even know if his newfound friend would even come for him, however couldn't stop himself from putting on the clothes his father gave him before he died. It was a fancy collared shirt, with black edges and black buttons. It was short sleeved, and the ends had designs embroidered on it. His pants were made of a very fine black silk, and the wolf actually looked like the son of a rich businessman rather than an orphan. His parents were surprisingly wealthy, and he remembered wearing fine silks like that all the time, as if it was normal. Now, it was the strangest thing.

"Wait…" Zhong said, breaking out of his train of thought. Why was the cafeteria silent? Curious, Zhong slowly walked to the door and put his ear next to it. On the other side, he heard Mr. Chu talking to the kids.

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"Alright, kids, settle down! I would like to introduce you the Prince of Gongmen City and…the soothsayer" The Soothsayer cringed at how dissatisfying he said her name, but the kids cheered nonetheless. Shen bowed, but felt awkward at how much praise he was receiving.

"Why are you white?" one of the kids said. To this, Shen closed his mouth, and his smile dropped. He actually hated being asked that.

"Hey! Don't ask those questions! Anywho, who is the child you're-"Chi spoke, only to be cut off again by the old goat.

"He's not here" the Soothsayer said, and Shen looked up worried.

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"I'M HERE!" Zhong shouted at the very end of the cafeteria. He raised his hand like a school student as he stood up straight.

The sight of the mutt thinking he was friends with the prince made all the kids laugh, while Chi shouted "Zhong! I said you were grounded!"

Zhong's smile faded, and he felt his cheeks get red. He looked at the floor as they laughed at him, until he heard a loud voice.

"Zhong!" Shen said as he ran over to the wolf cub and hugged him playfully. At this, everyone in the cafeteria was silent, and Mr. Chi had his lower jaw dangling in the air.

"Why were you in there, Zhong?" Shen tilted his head and asked. Zhong just chuckled, saying "I got in a little trouble". Shen let out a pouty-face, but quickly pulled on the wolf's arm as he spoke "C'mon, let's go to my place!"

"Whoa whoa whoa! I-I'm sorry prince, but to take him you need to sign paperwo-"

"He had been invited to The Tower of Sacred Flame by the Lord and Lady themselves; we don't need paperwork. We will return him at sundown. Now, if you will excuse us" the Soothsayer spoke in a matter-of-factly tone, and gave a cocky smirk as the three walked through the cafeteria and out of the orphanage. Up until they left, they didn't hear a single peep from the children or staff.

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"Such poppycock. A child shouldn't even be let out of the orphanage with strangers. Even with the royal family, paperwork is required" the Soothsayer muttered to herself out loud. "It's not like they care…" Zhong said under his breath, looking at the floor. He began thinking about how unfairly he was treated last night, and Shen gave him a worried look. "Zhong…are you okay?"

Zhong looked up, and realized that his eyes were aching and blurry. He quickly rubbed the salt water on his arm as he continued walking. The Soothsayer looked back at him with a sympathetic gaze. "They don't treat you fairly, do they?" the goat asked. Zhong gave a small glance to her. "They don't treat anyone good, it isn't like-"

"They specifically don't treat _you_ fairly. You or the other wolf." To this, Zhong looked at the soothsayer, confused. "H-how did you know her, and…that?" he asked in astonishment.

"There was one other wolf there, and she glanced at you sadly instead of laughing like the others. Plus, you were the only one inside your room, and your stomach kept gurgling when I hugged you, despite the fact that all the other kids were eating" Shen replied casually. Zhong still had the confused look. _He got all of that just by looking?_ The lupine thought.

"I also kept cutting that Chi hooligan off for I feared that if he knew that we wanted you, he would've given a false excuse." The Soothsayer said, not looking at him. Zhong still couldn't believe how well they thought all of that out.

The soothsayer now looked directly back at the pup. "You look dashing in those clothes, Zhong. Where did you get them?" Zhong looked down, a small smile on his muzzle. "My parents gave it to me" Zhong said, basking in the memory of how happy he was when he got it. That was only six months ago. "Well, your parents had nice style" the soothsayer spoke kindly, the way a mother would. Zhong smiled even more.

As they arrived in front of the intimidating structure that is Shen's home, the prince felt how Zhong held onto his sleeve and tugged it. Zhong whispered "There are wolves here?" Shen nodded, and told him about how his parents thought that wolves, for their keen sight, smell, and ears, would make perfect guards for the palace. Zhong watched in astonishment as he saw all of the buff guards, keeping heavy alert by the walls. By how he was treated at the orphanage, Zhong thought that wolves were hated in Gongmen. They walked through the large front gates, and into the gigantic complex.

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"Mom, Dad!" Shen called out to his parents, who were at the dinner table. As Shen hugged them, the Soothsayer patted Zhong's back. "This, my Lord and Lady, is Zhong" she announced. Zhong's cheeks went red under the fur. "Hi-I-I mean, good afternoon my l-lord and lady" Zhong stuttered while he bowed down. He heard chuckling in front of him, and he looked up to see both of the peafowl extending their wings toward him. "No need for such courtesy, young one. Just call me Fu-Han and my wife Ah-Lam" the Lord said while Zhong hesitantly shook their wings.

"Especially after you protected my son, in which all four of us thank you kindly for doing" Ah-Lam added, further making Zhong blush. "It really, well, wasn't a big deal…or anything" Zhong muttered in shyness, while the two blue peafowl just gave a warm smile to the wolf pup.

"Momma, Papa, what are you doing here?" Shen asked. His parents told him that the meeting was cancelled, and to go play in the throne room while dinner was being prepared. Zhong stood close to Shen as they walked to the red staircase.

"Why…are there…so many…stairs?!" Zhong panted, leaning over. "Why…did you…want to run up them?" Shen replied with a soft glare. "I'm a wolf…I like to get to places quicker!"

"Then you should've thought about that before running as if your rear was on fire" Shen replied as he rolled his eyes. After the panting-fit, Zhong looked at the large room. A balcony was on one side, while there was an array of doors on the other. In the middle, he saw a rather large throne of pure gold. Zhong gulped at how high-fashioned the place looked, and he couldn't help but think beating up some bullies got him here.

"So…you want to play hide-and-seek?" Shen asked him. Despite the room being quite lacking of any spots, Zhong simply replied "Rock-paper-scissors to see who seeks first!"

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"One…two…three" Zhong frustratingly mumbled. Not only did he have to seek, but Shen reminded him that he couldn't use his nose. As a precaution, he plugged both his nostrils with tissues, giving him a nasal voice.

After he finished counting, Zhong got up and looked around the rather large room. There weren't that many places to hide in despite the rooms beyond the doors. He decided to head straight to Shen's bedroom (Shen had instructed him which room was which).

Shen hid under his bed, and put his wing against his beak when Zhong walked inside the room. He saw his two paws walk along the floor, hearing every creak. Perhaps he should've made Zhong plug his ears with something; he was a wolf, after all, making his hearing much better than his own. Shen didn't dare flex a muscle as the wolf looked through his closet first.

What did catch his attention were two hooves that were at the front of his door. They were black, and looked to be in crouch. It lightly stepped over to where Zhong was. _Wait…who is he?!_ Shen's heart dropped as the figure approached Zhong, and he found himself too scared to speak.

"MMPH! MMMMPH!" he heard Zhong's muffled screams, and saw how his feet started kicking hastily at the air. Soon, he saw the wolf's feet just dangle, and started to tear up as he saw Zhong's body hit the floor. His eyes were opened and dull, and he saw a small trickle of blood escape his open mouth. Shen felt tears run down his feathers, and trembled horribly on the floor under his bed. He only prayed that the figure wouldn't find him.

Unfortunately, his prayers fell on deaf ears as the bull bent down and looked at him. He had a mask on, and on the mask was black around the eyes, and had a big sloppy grin in blood, making him look like something from a nightmare.

"HELP ME!" Shen shouted at the top of his lungs.

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Fu-Han, his wife, and the goat quickly climbed up the stairs to the throne room. "Shen, Zhong, is everything alright?" the Soothsayer called out to the throne room. Nothing.

While faint, the three definitely knew that Shen's scream was one of distress, and not the scream of play (like how he would scream after having one too many minutes with his "ticklemonster" father).

They got to the throne room, only to find it completely empty and in silence. "S-Shen?" Ah-Lam called out, becoming more worried by the second.

While Fu-Han and the Soothsayer looked through the rooms, Ah-Lam walked up to the throne, noticing something on the seat. It was a note.

As she read it, her eyes widen, and tears started forming at her eyes.

She ran to Shen's bedroom, shouting "S-Shen! Come out this instant! This isn't fu-" She stopped as she walked into the room, and what Ah-Lam saw would sting her mind for a long time.

The bed had a large bloodstain, and the walls were covered in bloody hand prints.

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_Dear, great Lord and Lady_

_We have your son, Prince Shen, hostage, as well as his friend. Do not attempt to contact the authorities; if you do, we guarantee that they will suffer a horrible and gruesome death. __**THIS IS NOT A PRANK**__. If you ever want to see your beloved child, we request that you bring as many gold coins as you can to the 13__th__ Warehouse next to the shipping docks in seven days from now. _

_Have a lovely day, my Lord and Lady_

_P.S, If you still have a smudge of doubt, please take a gander at the lovely setup in Shen's room._

**Well…crap. Anywho, this concludes Chapter 2 of this story. Again, I would really appreciate more reviews, rather they have critiques or a simple comment saying if you liked the chapter or not. I wish you all a wonderful day!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello readers! Thank you all for reviewing my story! You guys don't realize how good it feels to read all your nice comments. I really do appreciate it!**

**Forgive me if there are some errors. I had just recently gotten a Microsoft Surface, and the type cover is so damn small xD **

**Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy Chapter 3!**

The sun was high in the sky, illuminating all of China with its warm glow, countering the chilly fall weather. The children's voices could be heard playing, and the loud voices of vendors filled the markets of Gongmen City.

On what seems to be a "normal" day, however, a grave crisis is taking place. The Tower of the Sacred Flame stood tall and proud, being seen by every citizen of Gongmen. But what the citizen's _don't _see is, ironically, the most important thing of all.

Lord Fu Han and Lady Ah Lam, the once proud and brave leaders of the magnificent city, are in an utterly terrifying conflict, one in which they have little control over.

It was a war inside the tower. Fu Han was shouting at the top of his lungs at the wolves who guarded the sacred palace. "How on Earth did such a thing happen?!" the blue peafowl went on and on at the guards, who were completely baffled by the situation to the point where a simple response was hard to accomplish. They all just stared wide-eyed at their lord.

Lady Ah Lam, however, could only manage to sit down on the throne, staring down at the horrid paper left behind by the assassins. Tears dribbled down her feathery cheeks and on to the paper, making the ink smudge. By now, the letter was barely even readable, not that Ah Lam really cared. She knew that the message would be engraved in her mind for a while.

The letter, however, was only part of her pain. The major play in the state she is in was that…_devastating _sight. The way they left Shen's bedroom. _Her _Shen.

She remembered in detail when she and her mate designed it. It was a task that the two peafowl wanted to do themselves; as much as the guards and servants offered to help, they refused.

Fu Han and Ah Lam have been trying to have a baby for a very long time. No matter how much they had tried, they simply couldn't conceive. When all hope seemed lost, however, sxweAh Lam laid her egg. It was a wonderful time, and she had never seen Fu Han happier.

When Shen hatched, it was the gossip of the entire city. The "ghost child" was the name referred to him. Countless times, they were given recommendations to drown the child, rather it be from their servants or the council. Of course, Fu Han and Ah Lam would have no such thing.

He had come into this world so innocently. It was the strangest thing. He was so tiny, and he didn't cry. As a matter of fact, he didn't make no kind of noise. The only thing he did was smile. It was the smallest, most gentle smile, but it was there. They would always say he was "the child of a ghost" and that his pale white skin and feathers were a mark of Satan.

But in the Lord and Lady's eyes, they just saw a small, beautiful child. They actually grew to love Shen's white feathers as he grew older. While he wasn't the healthiest fowl, he was definitely the brightest. And kindest. And most loving. No, that child of theirs was no ghost, but an angel. An angel who gave the two peafowl meaning to their life. A true angel.

Now, however, that angel was taken away from them, and so went their purpose. It made more tears fall out Ah Lam's eyes, and she sobbed gently. Not Shen. Anyone but Shen.

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It was as if there were weights on the young fowl's eyes. His mind was turning inside his skull, and all sound was muffled. Slowly, his body became conscious. His wingtips glided on the floor gently. Concrete. Feeling began to come back to the young prince, and he felt cold. And pain.

With all his energy, Shen pushed himself off the floor. As he got up, he felt something tight and heavy around his neck. He raised his wing up to it and grazed the cold, rusty metal.

And at that moment, a tidal wave of memories came at him. His eyes opened wide, retracing all the events that led him to the position he is in now. Tears filled his eyes as he looked around frantically. They were in a dark room with no windows. The only light in the room was that of a lantern, which stood on a table in the middle. On the wall in front of him was a ladder, and it led to what looked to be a trapdoor. He saw a very faint light come out from the edges, making a lowly-lit square on the ceiling.

He looked to his left, and saw his friend Zhong. He was laying down on the floor, his breathing low. "Zhong!" Shen called out to him. As he ran, however, the chain on his neck pulled him back forcefully, making him almost fall. He looked behind him, and saw that the chain was attached to the wall.

The sound of Shen screaming and the chain being pulled was just enough to stir Zhong out of his slumber. He slowly got up and, like Shen, felt the chain on his neck. He quickly looked behind him, realizing that he was in the same predicament as his white fowl friend. "S-Shen? W-where are we?" Zhong asked. Shen saw how the wolf's red eyes; eyes like his, were shadowed by terror.

"I…I don't know" Shen replied coldly. Shen just stared at his talons, trying to think of something else.

"Help! Somebody help!" Zhong shouted, yanking on the chain. Shen just looked back down, thinking that the wolf's cries were leading to nothing.

Zhong eventually stopped, and simply started shivering. Wherever they were, it was freezing. The two only now noticed their icy breaths. Zhong looked on the walls and saw parts of it were covered in snow. They also noticed how ice began to form on the floor.

They spent two hours trying to break free from the chains. They pulled and pulled to no avail. By the time they had given up, their hands were freezing and sore.

"I-It's getting c-colder…" Shen muttered from his crouched position. Zhong was doing the same, however it did little to help against the freezer they were in.

"Indeed it is, my prince" a voice suddenly came from the trapdoor. It opened, the light from the other side illuminated the entire room, forcing Zhong and Shen to cover their eyes. A bull with the smiley-face mask dropped down, and looked at the two menacingly. "How can you call it torture when the victims aren't getting tortured?" the masked-bull said questioningly. Zhong's eyes widen, and Shen called out "T-torture?! W-what do you-"

"See, you two are being held for ransom. It's quite simple. If your parents don't come with an amount of cash that is satisfactory, we kill you both. Of course, that doesn't mean you two aren't going to suffer. You should be thankful for this freezer; it just might be the most peaceful thing you're going to encounter."

Both children stared at the bull, a million different thoughts coming to their head, and none of them good. "W-what are y-you going t-to do?" Zhong asked, clutching himself tighter to gain warmth. The bull tilted his head "Funny you should say, wolf. You're actually going to be our first contestant!" the bull said while rushing over to Zhong. "W-what?! W-wait! Stop! STOP!" Zhong shouted as the bull held him tightly and unchained him. The bull took the lantern off the table, and banged Zhong against it.

The bull took out some rope and tied the wolf facing-up. After closing the trapdoor, he unchained Shen as well, and gave him a pair of pliers. "Come here kiddo" he said while he walked behind Zhong's head.

The bull clamped Zhong's upper and lower jaw, and separated them. Zhong was screaming uncontrollably, shaking violently against the ropes that bind him. Shen looked at the pliers in his hand, and already had a feeling of what he was going to do.

"So, here's how it works. You have five seconds to pull out one of his teeth. If you don't do it within five seconds, I slice your back with this machete" the bull said emotionless while he gestured to the large blade in his hands. At this, Zhong started screaming even more loudly, and tears started forming on his eyes. Shen's eyes widen in horror at the psychotic bull's instructions.

He can't do this. He just couldn't. He had only met Zhong two days ago; how can he do that to him?! Shen desperately looked around the dark freezer, hoping to find some way out of this mess.

"D-don't m-make me do t-this…" Shen pleaded as he cried.

"You have to do this-"

"I can't! Not to him-"

"Would you rather have me kill him right now?!" the bull shouted as he put his blade on top of Zhong's neck. Zhong stopped kicking and screaming. The feeling of the blade on his throat made him paralyze in fear.

Shen cried "No! No…I…I'll do it" as he walked up to Zhong, who's muzzle was now done being manhandled. "Take out five teeth, and you're done" the bull told the both of them.

"L-look Shen, j-just avoid my m-molars, a-alright? M-make it q-quick" Zhong said in his most calm voice (the calmest he could for the moment). Shen muttered "I'm sorry" as he positioned the pliers over one of his teeth.

"Look on the bright side, you two. You can choose whichever tooth you want! Anyway! One, two, three, begin!"

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Shen didn't speak. He couldn't speak. He and Zhong were back where they started; the two of them chained to the opposite wall. Except now, Zhong was facing the wall rather than Shen.

Zhong had instructed him which teeth were adult and baby, and he pulled out five of them, like instructed. There was blood splattered everywhere; on the table, on Zhong, and on Shen. After it was done, the bull promised Shen that he would be the 'contestant' the following day.

It took an hour for the five teeth to be pulled out, with two intermissions in-between. Shen had received twelve cuts spread along his back. While the bleeding stopped, the pain still made Shen cringe. He knew that both their wounds would be heavily infected once they got home.

Home. His palace seemed to be a distant memory, even if the two had only been gone for one day.

Why? Why are _they _the ones who suffer? They were only kids for god sake; they didn't do anything wrong. They didn't deserve this.

His parents always taught him that, as long as you're a good person, nothing bad will ever happen to you. Then…why was this happening?! He and Zhong were good people! A good person stands up to bullies. A good person always shows love to his parents! He was a good person!

"S….Shen?" Zhong muttered in the fowl's direction, catching Shen's attention. "You…okay?" Zhong asked. Despite the distortion in his voice due to the injuries, Shen was still able to understand him.

What he couldn't understand was how the wolf was asking_ him_ about his safety. The lupine had five teeth yanked out, and yet he was worried about _him._ Shen's eyes started to tear up at that thought. The wolf seemed to be so caring and sympathetic. And yet, because of his reputation as prince, he made him suffer so much. He was confused as to why he would even care about his condition.

It just didn't make sense

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Back at the Tower, Lord Fu Han was getting money. He started to pile up crates upon crates, stuffed to the top with coins. They also had many other expensive luxuries in them. Beautiful and rich silks, diamond-encrusted jewelry, and other fancies were all placed neatly in boxes and stacked in the throne room.

The note didn't specify exactly how much money to add, so Fu Han decided to not take any risks and have as much as he can. Fu Han even went into the palace's vault, withdrawing at least half of all the coins that laid in it and placing them into crates.

The state of mourning wasn't only in the palace, however. Many citizens showed sympathy upon hearing the news. They weren't told where or how the kidnapping took place, but they were told that the young prince and his friend were in a life-and-death situation.

Even the people who didn't like the royal family sympathized, for the two victims were a mere eight years old. So young, and yet they have to bear something so brutal. Most of Gongmen was blanketed in a state of gloom.

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Chun had laid inside her bedroom all day. Her head was shoved inside her pillow, which was damp due to her tears.

At the age of seven, Chun didn't really care about the fact that the prince was captured. Granted, she mourned greatly for the prince and his family, however she wasn't showing sympathy all because he was royalty.

No one showed sympathy for Zhong. No one came to the orphanage to give their condolences, however it was almost a crime not to for Shen. It just wasn't fair. A life is a life, rather it was born in poverty or wealth.

She remembered the last time he saw him. He walked out of his room, all dressed up. Chun had been the only one to have seen those clothes; she had been the only one Zhong trusted enough to show it too. He really did look handsome in it, which (although she would never admit it) kind of made her crush on him stronger.

Never would she have thought that would be the last time she saw him. It was quite astonishing, actually. Life can be taken away so easily in this world, and it can be done without the slightest thought. It just hurt for it had to be _Zhong _who became the victim. The sweet, short-tempered, and funny pup that shined light on her dark life was now on the brink of life-and-death, and could quite possibly be dead for all she knew-"

No. She wouldn't think like that. She…couldn't, think like that. Zhong would want her to be strong and have hope. Besides, if her fate was engraved in stone, Zhong would never give up, no matter how bad the odds were.

Chun gripped her pillow tightly, almost breaking the cheap fabric. Zhong is coming back. Even if this hell ridden orphanage didn't believe so or even cared, she knew he would be back. She would run up to him and give him a tight hug, and he would go back to tease her by calling her Dandan. She would fake being sick so that Zhong can sneak out and come back, and they will talk about the adventures he had experienced throughout the day. Yes, he will come back.

She just knew he would.

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Zhong's eyes slowly rose, countering the wolf's sleepy body. The first thing he noticed was that the freezer wasn't that cold anymore. His body didn't shiver, and that cold chill that would run up his spine continuously stopped. The floors and walls were wet, leading Zhong to believe that the ice and snow that formed must have melted.

He saw Shen sleeping as well, huddled next to the corner. Zhong was going to wake him, however stopped himself, thinking his future-lord needed some rest. He slowly raised his paw up to his jaw, and winced at how sore it was due to the teeth-pulling.

Zhong looked down at himself and cringed. His fur was matted with blood, and his body was sticky. He and the peafowl smelled like rotten onions by now, and he was disgusted by himself (and this was coming from a wolf with no manners whatsoever).

As if reading his thoughts, the trapdoor from above opened, and a bull (not the same from before) called out "Shower time!" while he jumped down. Shen woke up, and quickly covered his eyes from the light. They were both getting frustrated at the bright light always shining on their sensitive eyes whenever that door opened.

The bull walked and unchained them from the wall, however held on to the chains in his hands. Zhong and Shen slowly climbed up the ladder and out the door. The room itself was underground, and the two found themselves in a forest. They had only ever walked out to use the bathroom, and even then they barely left, since they rarely even ate or drank.

Instead of walking toward bushes, however, the two were headed toward a shallow pond. "Here you go" the bull said through his mask as he let go of the chains and handed them two baskets. One was empty for their clothes, and the other had two bars of soap, followed by two scrubs.

"We're showering together?" Shen asked with his eyebrow cocked up. The bull nodded, clearly amused at the embarrassing situation. "You two don't even have the same thing, who gives a crap?" the bull replied in a blatant matter.

Zhong glanced at Shen, and they both blushed as they started to disrobe. Shen took off all of his layers and quickly headed to the deeper end of the pool to submerge himself, not even glancing back at the wolf behind him. The last thing he wanted was to see what the wolf was hiding 'under there'.

Zhong did the same, quickly submerging himself in the water. The water itself was quite cold, but bearable nonetheless. It felt so good to clean off all of the blood on his fur. He was positive Shen enjoyed it too. They both started to scrub themselves with soap, and it was actually relaxing.

After cleaning their smelly and blood-stained clothing, they dried themselves off and got dressed. The bull who was keeping guard was quite tired; so much that he didn't even notice that he didn't have the chains in his hands. Zhong took this opportunity and whispered to Shen "On my count, run"

"Wait, wha-"

"One, two, three, RUN!" Zhong shouted as he started bolting at all fours. Shen got the memo, and he started running too.

"What the hell- GET BACK HERE!" the bull shouted as he ran toward Shen, who was the slower run. Zhong shouted "HELP! SOMEBODY HELP US!" as he ran.

Shen was keeping good pace, but was yanked back by the chain by his neck. _Dang it! _He thought as he felt his body crash against the Earth. Shen's heart stopped as the bull approached him.

"ZHONG!" he heard Shen call to him. He quickly turned around, and saw that the bull was on top of him.

"Listen up you little brat! I won't hesitate to kill you-OUCH!" the bull shouted as he gritted his teeth in pain. He looked behind him to see that the wolf bit down on his leg, blood slowly trickling down Zhong's teeth. After having five of them pulled out, it was agonizing for Zhong to bite down on the rough skin. "Get off of me!" the bull shouted as he kicked Zhong in the face, making him yelp in pain.

Zhong fell back and gripped his muzzle with his paws, trying to ease the incredible amount of pain he was feeling. The bull walked with a limp, due to the bite, toward Zhong.

Shen needed to think fast. He looked around, and quickly noticed the weapon that the bull had on his side. It was a wooden mallet and, without thinking, Shen grabbed it. When the bull turned around, Shen threw the hammer at the bull's face.

Unfortunately, the bull dodged it, and the mallet flew right in front of Zhong, who was on the floor. The lupine looked up to see the bull in front of Shen. The bull pulled out a knife and aimed it at him. "Help! Somebody help!" Shen shouted with tears in his eyes.

Zhong started to tear up in fear. _No…no _Zhong thought as he laid there. He already had so many of his loved ones die, he couldn't lose Shen. Not like this.

Zhong didn't know what to do

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"_Zhong, run! Protect Mengyao!" Nianzu shouted at his son, who was watching at the top of the stairs. His mother was on the floor, blood coming out of her neck. Nianzu had tears running down his cheeks rapidly. "D-Dad! I'm scared!" Zhong shouted back at his father, looking into his ocean-blue eyes. They heard banging on the door from the other side, hearing multiple threats being shouted. "Zhong, I love you! Tell Mengyao I love him! Please, grab what you can and run!" Zhong's father, now in a full sob, called out to his son. _

_Zhong just stood in fear, not knowing what to do. The banging increased, and Zhong quickly ran toward his room. "I love you!" was the last thing he heard his father say before the door slammed open. _

_Zhong opened the door to Mengyao's room, and saw his six-year old brother looking at him. "W-what's going on, bro?" Mengyao said worriedly. "We have to leave, now!" Zhong said as he pulled out a burlap sack from under his bed and stuffed his and Mengyao's clothes in it. His brother's blue eyes stared at him with fear. "What's happening!" he called out to him, hugging his pillow tighter. _

_Zhong placed the bag over his shoulder, and grabbed Mengyao's paw. "I can't explain right now! We have to go!" Zhong said as he opened the window. Thankfully, Mengyao's second-story room wasn't so high, letting Zhong jump down with no injuries. He put the bag down and extended his paws, shouting "Mengyao, I'll catch you!"_

_His brother didn't appear in front of the window, however. Zhong called out again, but still heard silence. Worried, Zhong quickly ran back inside the house. He got to the staircase, and saw his father's body lying on the floor. Zhong felt tears run down his cheeks as he stared at his father's dead body. Zhong couldn't bear to look at him any longer, and ran up the stairs and into Mengyao's room._

_There, he saw Mengyao huddled at the corner of the wall, while a jaguar in heavy armor looked down at him. The armored-jaguar unsheathed his sword and aimed it at Mengyao, who was too scared to move. Zhong stopped breathing when he saw the sword slice at Mengyao, and blood stained the wall._

"_MENGYAO!"_

_._

_._

_._

He couldn't lose someone else. He just couldn't. Zhong's eyes stung as he looked at Shen, crouched down. It was like that moment was happening all over again. He didn't want to lose anyone else.

His life was worthless. He had nothing now that his family was gone. He only had Chun, and even then he felt as though he was more of a nuisance to the poor girl than a friend. Aiguo was right; he was nothing but a pathetic dog.

But now, he could change that. Only now. This was his last chance to do something useful with his pathetic life. Shen was a prince; he had such a promising future. If not for himself, he would at least be able to save the young peafowl who he had befriended only a few days ago.

"NO!" Zhang shouted as he quickly grabbed the mallet and ran toward the bull. He banged the leg he had originally bitten with the hammer ferociously hard, causing the bull to shout in pain. The bull crouched down and tended to his sore leg, giving Zhong a clear shot. Zhong slammed the mallet against the bull's face, causing him to face down on the floor, clutching his face in pain. The bull's screams were muffled by the mask and Earth below him.

What Shen saw next would stay engraved in his memory for as long as the fowl lived. Zhong started to bang the hammer against the bull's head repeatedly. "DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!" Zhong shouted with tears in his eyes. Blood started to form on the head, and the bull stopped struggling beneath him. Still, Zhong continued to slam the mallet on his skull.

Blood had splattered everywhere, staining the clothes he had just gotten clean. It looked to be the handiwork of a serial killer, and yet it was created by an eight-year old.

Shen just stood there, staring at his friend. His mind went blank; he just didn't know what to think. He didn't _want _to think. Zhong killed a man. _Zhong_, his first ever friend, had just ended another man's life. Shen didn't know what to do.

Zhong looked blankly at his work, panting heavily. He dropped the mallet, and simply stared at the dismembered skull.

He then looked up to make direct eye-contact with Shen, who simply sat there. Shen's expression was unreadable.

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"Oh my god…" Zhong muttered as he came to the realization of what had just happened. He looked down, and saw that his entire body was covered in blood. This…this wasn't him. This couldn't be him…

But it was.

He just murdered a man. He _murdered _someone. Zhong started to breathe much more heavily, and tears started streaming out of his crimson eyes. Eyes of a murderer.

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All Zhong could do was scream.

**And that concludes Chapter 3. I thank you all for reading this and I would HIGHLY appreciate if you could leave a review. I plan on making this story quite long, for I plan on writing about Shen and Zhong's life as well as redemption (which you might have noticed in the summary). I really can't wait to hear what you guys have to say! Thanks for reading, and stay tuned!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello once again, readers! Finally have Chapter 4 finished! I appreciate all the reviews I've gotten, especially since this is my first fanfiction on this movie.**

**If there is any confusion as to regarding small/specific details (eye color, ages, names, etc) please forgive me. I have a difficult time remembering these things, and often find myself having to reread my own chapters in order to remember (sad, right?).**

Zhong couldn't even think straight. His mind was in all different directions as he was burning out his lungs and vocal chords. As a matter of fact, he couldn't even remember what happened next. All he knew was that once he began thinking clearly, he was running, with his paw being gripped tightly by a wing.

"We have to hurry!" Shen shouted to the wolf, however he heard it in a muffled and distorted voice. He was in complete shock now, and finally stopped screaming. He looked around, and saw that they were running through the forest. "S-S-Shen, I-I-" the wolf began, but only to be interrupted.

"Don't worry about that, just keep running!" Shen shouted. Zhong realized that Shen was coughing and panting horribly. It completely slipped both their minds as to how sick and vulnerable the poor fowl was. Zhong stopped running and pulled Shen. "You can't run like this, Shen! Go on my back" Zhong spoke as he bent down. Shen quickly got on and wrapped his arms around the wolf's neck, and held tightly as the wolf began dashing through the forest.

As Shen held on, he heard the wolf sniffling, and went to look at his face. "Zhong, what's wrong?" Shen asked, despite the fact that he knew the answer.

"I…I-I killed s-someone….I-I" Zhong broke down as he started sobbing, and ran a little slower. Shen opened his beak to speak, but was cut off by a loud voice. "Where are they?" it shouted, echoing through the trees. Fear filled the two kids hearts as they realized who that voice belonged too.

Now, Zhong ran even faster, barely dodging the many trees in their way. Shen's grip tightened, and he closed his eyes. Tears ran down the wolf's cheeks, but he didn't dare go any slower.

The only thing the wolf had on his mind was getting Shen back home.

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"Search everywhere!" Lord Fu Han shouted at the wolf guards as they arrived at the warehouse. The Lord had made a group of his strongest guards, and decided to head to the warehouse early. Fu Han was always the stubborn type, although at this moment his actions were somewhat justifiable. Either way, he wasn't going to give up on his son so easily.

The twenty-or-so wolves sniffed around everywhere, and Lord Fu Han's heart dropped when there were no signs of anyone.

"B-but the letter" Lord Fu Han said to himself as his heart pumped faster. If not here, where were they? He began to breathe faster at the thought of all of this being a trap; that his son and his friend were killed or drowned. A single tear met the Lord's eye.

"Wait, I hear something!" one of the wolves called out. After a brief moment of silence, the wolf pointed in the direction of the forest, shouting "That way!"

At this, Lord Fu Han's hope was kindled at the fact that maybe, just maybe, his son was alive. They all started to run toward the ever-so-faint sound.

He had ran nonstop for ten minutes, and his lungs were burning. He panted uncontrollably and his heart was in his throat. His body wanted to rest so badly. Gods, how a glass of water would do him wonders. When it came to stamina, the lord was lacking immensely. Of course, the peafowl didn't dare stop.

Not while his son was out there.

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"I-I hear someone!" Zhong shouted as he ran. At this, Shen looked up, paying attention to any sounds. "I-I don't hear anything, Zhong-"

"I'm a wolf, remember?" Zhong said as he looked back at the young fowl on top of him. "Oh, yeah…" Shen muttered, feeling stupid.

All of a sudden, Shen felt himself get launched in the air. He didn't even know what was happening as he landed on his sore, cut-up back. Shen cringed at the feeling; the stinging sensation on his back worse than anything he had ever felt. Shen gasped, and quickly rolled over. "Z-Zhong?" he called out, looking behind him to see the wolf grabbing his arms, blood trickling down them. Shen looked confused, and quickly got on his talons.

A few feet behind Zhong, Shen saw an incredibly thin wire, really low to the floor. He saw a line of blood on it, and it looked as if the blood was levitating. He realized that his lupine friend cut his arms in the trap.

A rustling sound was heard, and Shen looked up to see the smiley-faced bull that had tortured them a few days ago. Shen's heart stopped, and his mind drowned in fear.

"This…damn…wolf…killed my friend!" the bull shouted through his mask as he took out his machete and aimed it at Zhong, who was laying down on the floor. Zhong could only watch as the man raised the machete.

It's over. He was going to die. At a mere eight years old, barely tasting the feast that is life. It was all going to end.

A single tear left his eye as he stared at his fate, rushing toward him. He closed his eyes, not knowing what was going to happen to him. The lupine flinched for a fraction of a second.

But what he felt wasn't a machete slicing through his flesh, but a pair of wings grabbing on to him. Was he dead? Perhaps he died so quick that his body didn't have time to register the pain, and an angel was taking him to heaven.

After a few seconds, however, he knew that he wasn't dead. For some miraculous reason, the wolf was still breathing. Curiosity got the best of him, and he opened his eyes. There, he saw Shen on top of him, hugging him and crying. "D-don't touch him!" Shen pleaded, looking at the man who stood in front of him. It didn't take Zhong long to realize why the man didn't strike.

"I-I am the prince of Gongmen…I'm the one who is going to g-get you all your m-money, a-and if you k-kill him, then you'll have to k-kill me" Shen spoke hoarsely to the bull, sniffing through his words. Despite the mask that displayed a bloody smile, both children knew how frustrated the bull was under it.

"Don't…you…THREATEN ME!" the bull shouted at the top of his lungs as he lunged his machete at them.

_No…_Shen thought as he saw the machete racing toward him and his friend. _I…I couldn't save him. He sacrificed so much for me, and yet I've done nothing…_Shen felt tears run down his feathery cheeks as time went in slow motion. The young fowl didn't want to, but he knew that it was the only thing that would, at the very least, make his friend live just a little bit longer.

Shen got off the wolf, and ran in front of the blade. He barely even heard Zhong shouting his name from behind him.

_I'm sorry mama, papa…maybe you can try again… _

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"AUGH!" Shen heard the bull shout. He quickly opened his eyes, and saw that the bull had some kind of knife in his shoulder. The bull dropped his machete and cringed in the pain. Quickly, Shen looked behind him, and it was as if he had finally found that speck of light in a long cave of darkness.

His father was standing there, looking straight at the two kids.

Both Shen and Zhong's eyes began to tear up. Without a second word, the two children lunged at the blue peafowl. Shen watched as his father opened his wings and embraced the two.

Shen completely let himself go. He grabbed the fine silk of his father's robe tightly as he stained said silk with what seemed to be an endless amount of tears. The feeling of his father's gentle, yet caring embrace was a feeling he thought he would never get to feel again.

His father looked down on him, tears streaming down the lord's face. "I thought I lost you! Oh, son I am so sorry!" his father nearly shouted as he cried more, and pulled Shen in an even tighter hug.

It was then that the Lord got up and looked at the bull, who was trying to pull out the blade lodged in his shoulder. "Boys!" the bull shouted, ripping his mask off in anger. "Where the hell are you?!"

Slowly, he saw figures emerge from the trees. He was excited for only a moment, for he soon realized that they weren't bulls.

He saw what seemed to be about ten other wolves walk toward him, and the bull was shocked.

"W-what did you do to my men?!" the bull shouted at everyone, backing away slowly from all the wolves.

"We got every single one of them. The guards are taking them to Chorh-Gom prison as we speak" Fu Han said darkly. "Guards, take him" Fu Han commanded, picking up both his son and the wolf in his wings. Fu Han ignored the shouts and curses of the bull behind him.

Shen became drowsy, and eventually fell asleep in his father's arms.

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Both Zhong and Shen were in the palace infirmary. Shen and Zhong were both laying down in one of the beds, for all the other beds were filled with injured palace guards. The village raid the guards had been sent to clear out resulted in many injuries, so the two children were quite lucky to have found a single bed.

Shen and Zhong were sleeping, the fowl snuggled up next to the furry wolf (wolf fur was surprisingly warm and cozy). Zhong would regularly be annoyed, but right now, he didn't even care. He was just happy to finally be out of harm's way.

The two slowly woke up, and said 'hi' to each other, albeit awkwardly. Soon, they heard the door open, and Shen was ecstatic to see his favorite (and in his eyes, world's best) nana walk in, with two cups of tea in her hands.

The soothsayer gave Shen a warm hug, and the young fowl felt tears go down his cheeks. Zhong smiled, but was filled with shock as the soothsayer grabbed his arm and forced him to join the embrace. Zhong was surprised at first, but eventually gave in to the comfortable spooning.

As the two of them were sipping their tea, the Soothsayer spoke to Zhong. "You know, sweetie, I have a special guest" she said as she opened the door. Zhong's heart fell as he saw Chun walk in.

A wave of guilt went over Zhong. The wolf felt horrible for putting his first and best friend into so much worry. Zhong was about to speak, but was stopped when Chun ran up to him.

"ZHONG!" Chun yelled as she hugged him tightly, and tears began to stain the hospital gown the lupine had on. Zhong, due to his shyness, hesitated to hug the female back. The soothsayer grinned at the sight.

Zhong felt even more guilt as she muttered "I knew you were coming back" in his chest. Zhong felt himself start to tear up, and he eventually started to sob as well.

"I…I'm so, _so _sorry, Chun…I didn't mean to make you worry" Zhong sniffed, now embracing the she-wolf tightly.

Shen watched the scene, blushing furiously. The prince was no doubt feeling awkward about the situation. "Umm…hi" Shen shyly muttered, and waved his wing. Chun looked up, and her face filled with surprise. She hadn't even noticed the prince was there the whole time.

Chun began stammering her words. "I-uh, I'm sorry, Shen-I-I mean, Lord, Shen, yeah that's it. M-my Lord" Chun said as she awkwardly bowed down, trying to show respect to me.

"I was just saved from a ransom attempt, formal speech is the last of my worries!" Shen tried his best to make a joke, and was happy to see Chun chuckle. "T-thanks, Lord Shen" she replied warmly. He was about to say that he wasn't a lord yet but, he had to admit, being called 'Lord Shen' was freaking awesome.

Chun looked back at Zhong, and her eyes widened in horror at his teeth. "Zhong, what happened?!" she screamed as she opened the wolf's mouth and looked at the yanked out teeth.

"Uh…long story, Dandan. They'll grow back, though!" Zhong reassured her. Chun's heart began to beat faster at that name. She grew teary eyed again, and pulled Zhong in yet another hug. "I never want to lose you again" she softly said in a whisper. Zhong gave a warm smile at the words.

The soothsayer was the one to speak next "Chun has been adopted, Zhong. By a wonderful family".

Zhong's ears perked up, and his eyes widened. "What?" he muttered. He was feeling mixed emotions about this, actually. He was so, so happy for Chun to finally have a family; it was what he always wished for her to have. But, he was sad that he was officially going to be alone in that orphanage. His ears flattened, but he forced a smile and said "I'm happy for you, Chun" while choking on the word 'happy'. He expected Chun to give a frown, but she just smiled even more.

"Don't worry, silly. My family lives close to the palace" Chun reassured him. This did nothing for Zhong, however. "Dandan, I don't live in the palace" he grumbled.

"Well" the Soothsayer spoke up again. Now, all three children looked at her. "It took a _lot _of convincing, but…I finally got the Lord and Lady to agree."

Zhong and Shen both tilted their heads, and said at the same time "Agree to what?"

The soothsayer had a big smile, and spoke "We retrieved all your clothes and personal belongings, Zhong. I just hope you don't mind having a peafowl for a brother!" in a rather excited voice, unusual for her wise character.

Both Zhong and Shen's crimson eyes widened, and their mouths were opened wide.

No, this wasn't happening. He was just dreaming. Chun was still in the orphanage, and he and Shen were still sleeping. He was just having a dream. An awesome dream, but a dream nonetheless. He'll wake up any second now.

But it didn't happen.

He wasn't dreaming. This was happening. All of this was really happening. "Are…are you serious?" Zhong muttered as he looked at Shen, who looked at him.

"The Lord and Lady decided that, after all Zhong had done for you, he doesn't deserve to go back to that wretched orphanage. And, honestly, you can thank that young girl over there" the soothsayer confirmed as she gestured to the female wolf, smiling brightly.

"Ms. Soothsayer came to me while you were gone. I told her about how unfair they had treated us…" Chun began to tell them about what had happened that day.

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_Chun turned for the thirty fourth time on her bed. It was lunch time, however she was in no mood to eat. She wasn't in the mood to do anything. Originally, she was planning on getting lunch, however overheard Aiguo talking about how Zhong deserved to be kidnapped, and how it would be even better if Chun had been murdered off as well. _

_She ran back to her room, tears in her eyes. After calming herself, she just turned…and turned…and turned._

_All of a sudden, she heard a loud bang on the door. "Hey mutt, you have a visitor!" the voice said harshly as the door opened. Chun straightened herself up as best as she could as she saw a familiar goat figure walked inside. Chun immediately recognized her as the goat that was with the Prince, on the day of the incident. The goat closed the door behind her, and slowly trotted to Chun's bed and sat. _

"_You miss him, don't you?" the soothsayer politely asked. Chun tilted her head, and she said "How do you know?"_

_The soothsayer just smiled, replying "A mother's instinct." Chun let out a small smile at the thought. The smile soon faded, however, as she let out a rather depressed sigh. The soothsayer had a look of worry on her face. "It doesn't even matter if he comes back. It isn't like he'll be any happier…" Chun started as she felt tears bundle up in her eyes._

"_Why is that?" the soothsayer gently asked the obviously distressed wolf. Chu sniffed, rubbed her eyes, and replied "They don't like us here…a-and there mean to us. We don't get as much food, we get beaten more than the other kids, a-and we are always blamed for everything. H-he always t-tells me how he h-hates it here. I hate it t-too, but…I just d-don't want to see him sad." Chun felt the tears flowing down her face, but she paid no mind to it._

"_And n-no matter w-what I do, I-I can never make him f-feel better. Aren't you s-supposed to m-make your b-best friend's happy? S-so if I can't make him happy, w-what kind of friend am I?" Chun finished as she shoved her face in her arms and cried. "I-I just don't get it. T-they always talk bad about us to the parents who want to adopt, b-but they make our lives horrible here. I-I'm never l-leaving…" Chun cried harder in her already-soaked sleeves. _

_Chun felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked to see the soothsayer, sympathy in her eyes. "I know, I know. Unfortunately, despite how unfair something is, you can't do anything about it."_

_Chun just looked down, and sniffed more. "But, that doesn't mean someone else can't" the soothsayer replied with a bright smile. "I'll be back soon, umm….my apologies, your name?"_

"_Chun."_

"_Chun. Well, I promise I'll be back soon" the soothsayer spoke as she walked out the door. Chun just looked on, confused, a little worried, but somewhat hopeful. _

_._

_._

"I…I still don't know how she did it, but she actually got parents for me. Next thing you know, I was packing up my clothes and moving. I was so happy, and after hearing you were back, I…" Chun's voice trailed off as tears, once again, came to her eyes. Zhong just smiled, and pulled her in for a big hug. "Thank you so much, Chun" Zhong whispered in her ear as they embraced. He then felt a pair of wings wrap around them. "Don't forget about me. We're brothers now!" Shen claimed excitingly. Zhong gave a genuine smile, but it soon turned into a sly one.

"You must love the idea of being an older brother, huh?"

Shen stopped and thought of this. He had just realized that the wolf wasn't his age. As a matter of fact, Shen didn't even know the wolf's age, he merely guessed.

"Wait, so how old are you?" Shen asked, hitting himself for having gone through all of this and still not knowing how old he was.

"I'm seven" Zhong laughed.

Shen sighed, happy to know that the wolf wasn't that young. His self-esteem would've hit rock bottom had he found out this brave and strong wolf was five or six, as unlikely as that would be.

Zhong chuckled at Shen's relief, and saw the soothsayer at the door, about to walk away.

"Get in here, you old goat! Or should I say, nana!" Zhong exclaimed as he got up and pulled her into a hug. The soothsayer blushed furiously as she felt Zhong, then Shen, and then Chun pull her into an embrace.

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Two days later, Shen, Zhong, and Chun sat around a small wooden table. They were at Chun's brand new home. The table was draped with a beautifully embroidered cover, and the house was filled with beautiful hand-painted vases and trinkets.

Turns out that, not only were Chun's parents both wolves, but they had a very big interest in antiques. The most noticing part, however, was that they were…well, gay.

Heng had a light grey coat and hazel eyes. Peizhi was slightly taller, and had royal blue fur which complimented his deep blue eyes. In Gongmen, being with the same gender wasn't a big deal at all. The citizens usually stared at them just for the fact that barely anyone in the town were like that.

Zhong titled his head as he saw the two share a kiss in the kitchen. It was a weird sight, but Shen and Chun paid no mind to it.

Actually, he cared more about that glorious smell emerging from the kitchen. He felt a little bit of drool from his muzzle land on the expensive table cloth. Embarrassed, he quickly wiped it off and looked up, relieved to see Shen and Chun engaged in a conversation.

"What are you guys, uh, talking about?" Zhong spoke up, ignoring the fact that he slobbered on the table. "How you two escaped! Did you really let Shen ride on your back?" Chun asked with a smile. Zhong nodded, and looked to Shen, who gave a reassuring nod back.

Zhong personally asked him to lie about what really happened. The story they made was rather unbelievable; a guard left the door open, and they simply ran out. His teeth were gone due to the fact that he had gotten a 'growth spurt' that caused his baby teeth to grow out faster. Of course, this would sound like nothing but a lie to any older person, but Chun's seven year old mind totally fell for it. It was actually funny, how gullible yet wise the female could be.

Another detail the two made sure to leave out was Zhong's actions. They had a serious talk about it before, and decided to just forget that ever happened, which was admittedly hard for Zhong to do.

Thankfully, Heng emerged out of the kitchen with two plates, and Peizhi with one. Both wolves patted Chun on the head as they placed a plate in front of her and Zhong. "We made you two beef with mashed-potatoes. For our feathery little prince here-" Peizhi said as he placed his paw on his shoulder "We have a delicious sandwich" while placing the large sandwich in front of Shen.

"We really don't have any feathered visitors, so we only had enough to make something simple" Heng apologized as he handed Chun and Zhong a fork and a knife. Peizhi placed a napkin in front of Shen, who proceeded to shove it inside his neck so he wouldn't get dirty (at least, that's what his etiquette lessons taught him).

They stayed there for a good few hours before leaving. It was awkward to leave Chun, since Zhong had been used to seeing her in the morning. That was something the two would have to get used too. After a somewhat bittersweet goodbye, Shen and Zhong were escorted home by two guards.

Zhong had talked with them about what it was like being part of the Royal Guard. "We are the closest to the royal family. We always escort the Lord and Lady to destinations. Now, due to the incident, we are required to escort you two" one of the guards said, although in a polite manner.

Zhong then asked how old you had to be to join, and they replied "The age limit is 13. Of course, most people go when they're much older. I've never seen a 13 year old join the ranks" one of the guard's joked with the young wolf. Zhong pouted, and swore that he would be the first.

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Shen nor Zhong understood why Fu Han and Ah Lam had adopted him. Zhong was positive that there must have been another family who could've adopted the young wolf. Not that neither of them were complaining, they were simply curious as to the reasoning.

Zhong and Shen, for now, had to share the same room (which they didn't mind at all), and were both under the cover's with a tiny lantern. The kids were supposed to be sleeping by now but, thanks to Zhong's hearing and smelling, they could tell when someone was coming up to check on them.

"Do you really want to be in the Royal Guard when you grow up?" Shen asked.

"You bet! It would be awesome! Besides, it's the least I can do for your parents. They took me in, after all."

"Yeah, my parents have a lot of power. The adoption process took a few weeks to get accomplished. Yours only took a few hours. By the way, don't you mean 'our' parents?"

"Yeah, that's going to take some getting used to" Zhong let out a nervous chuckle.

"Probably. Also, I've been wondering, do you like Chun?"

"What? Ew, gross!" Zhong put his finger to his mouth and made a gagging sound. Shen laughed at this.

"Momma and Papa say that one day, we all find our true love eventually. Maybe Chun will be yours?"

"No way. Nuh uh. 'N' to the 'O'" Zhong exclaimed while crossing his arms. "Me and her are best friends. That's going to make things…well, weird."

"Oh come on, she obviously likes you-"

"She does?!" Zhong said rather excitingly. It took Shen his all not to laugh as Zhong quickly redeemed himself. "I-I mean, that's cool. But, I, uh, don't feel anything like, well, _that _toward her."

"Oh give me a break, there's no denying that you feel something _more _than a friendship. Or are you just afraid of getting 'friendzoned'?" Shen teased with a sly grin.

"Me? My Lord, I promise you that I, a future Royal Guard member, will NEVER be afraid of anything!"

"Ever?"

"Never. Ever."

Shen just chuckled. Zhong was so optimistic. Shen never looked at life like Zhong did. Even now, the albino felt guilty for everything that he had done to Zhong, no matter how many times the lupine pup would convince him otherwise.

It was quite amazing how all of this happened in a week or so. Now, he didn't know rather he should hate the bullies or thank them. If he didn't get into that fight, he would have never met Zhong. The wolf that saved his life. Shen didn't want to think about having to go through that kidnapping alone.

The wolf had done so much for the fowl in only a matter of days. Shen just knew he would have to pay the wolf back someday. It was the least he could do.

Heck, maybe the white peafowl will join his brother in his Kung-Fu training. To be honest, Shen doesn't want to have Zhong become his guard. They were brothers. If anything, Shen would want to fight side-by-side with his brother, rather than have him be his pawn. Shen shuddered at the thought of the independent wolf dwindling down to a mere servant; a pawn for his family to use when in danger.

It was going to take a while for Zhong to be considered 'part of the family', obviously, but Shen knew that within time, it will be as though Zhong is his blood.

Shen smiled at the thought, which quickly caught Zhong's attention. "What're you smiling about, Shen?" the wolf asked, tilting his head. Shen only now realized how adorable the pup looked when he did that.

Shen let out a small chuckle.

"Nothing, much."

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**Well, this concludes this arc of the story. Truth be told, I do plan on making a fanfiction dedicated to more about Shen and Zhong's early childhood, but of course that is to be made later. As for now, we are going to go through a little time-skip.**

**As you can infer from reading the summary, I don't plan on just writing about Shen and Zhong's childhood, but what happens to them after Gongmen City (in other words, yes, I plan on having both live, albeit realistically and believable). The next chapters are going to be revolving around Shen and Zhong's teenage years. Specifically, Zhong will be 13 years old, while Shen will be 14. This arc is going to be much longer, obviously, and then I will have a little arc about what happened during Kung Fu Panda 2. Finally, I will make the 'sequel' arc, as you can call it. **

**Also, with the gay-father thing with Chun, don't worry; I'm not going to add anything too crazy with that. I understand if homosexuality in any way makes you uncomfortable, and I will respect your limits regarding that. Granted, I am thinking about making Wolf Boss/Shen pairings (which, of course, will have no relation to the story whatsoever; not even going to use the name 'Zhong' for it) both Rated T and Rated M, so if you just so happen to be curious about that, then at least you have that to look forward too. **

**Finally, if you were wondering, I'm not going to leave a big gap in updating time simply because this is the end of an arc. I might take a break for two weeks tops, and that's because I have a lot of other stories I want to write (Zhong/Tigress pairing, actually; quite excited to make that). Nonetheless, thank you all for reading! I would really appreciate it if people can review this story and give me your thoughts. I won't lie; I love having big review numbers. It makes me feel special xD (and I hope I don't sound rude or greedy saying that, because I assure you that isn't my intention).**

**If you are new to this archive, and you want to read some more Wolf Boss related works, then I would highly recommend AnimationUniverse (where I got the name Zhong from) as well as TheCoolKat (who uses Zhong in his stories as well). AnimationUniverse has many, many stories revolving KFP, and he is literally an endless train of ideas. TheCoolKat is a literary genius, and was actually my inspiration to make this story. If you two are reading this, then I thank you for making such amazing stories for me to indulge in. You two are awesome for that!**

**Welp, thank you all for reading, and have an awesome day! **


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